Unqualified guide to flat hunting

You might be
reading this and thinking, “It’s May - surely no one is still flat hunting?”
Well, kind reader, you would be incorrect. Many people are still on the grind
and have been since January with no luck, thanks to a classic, “too many
people, not enough rentals” situation that has plagued Wellington and other
centres since last year. Or maybe you’re from Wellington and looking to fly the
nest for the first time - or, in my case, the third time because I keep having
to move back home after breaking up with a partner I live with (is this
#relatable? I hope so). Or it could be that you’re already in a flat but you’ve
decided you can’t hack it in a mouldy hole anymore or perhaps your flatmates
have revealed themselves to be awful racists or simply inconsiderate slobs.
Either way, you’re looking for some new digs like me and need a bit of help.
I’m perhaps not the most qualified (I’ve only just landed myself a flat after
months of searching) and I’m only offering my limited knowledge in finding an
established flat (finding a new house with a group of mates is a whole other
story) but take these tips with you and hopefully, young caterpillar, you will
be able to wriggle your way into your ideal flat!

Narrow down
your search

Before you
do anything, think about what it is that you’re looking for. What suburbs are
you open to living in? How much can you pay for rent? Do you want a new flat
family or are you a homebody that just wants to reside with people who will
leave you alone? We all have different living expectations and it’s totally
cool to know who you are and what you want from a flat. If you’ve never been
flatting before, don’t sweat it. We all start somewhere. Have a chat to some
older mates, family members, (or even me if you want) and get some advice from
seasoned flatters about what to look for in a flat. We’re all different but
here are some of my main requirements for a flat: relatively warm and sunny,
not about to turn into a mushroom from mould overload, cool and social people
who are down to hang out, somewhere cheap/free to park my car, and a room that
can at least fit my bed and have floor space for activities. Anything else is
just a bonus or something I can compromise on, so you should have a little list
like that too for absolute must-haves in a flat. If you’ve already been around
the block with flatting, then learn from what worked for you and what didn’t in
the past. Soon you’ll come up with a big picture in your head of the kind of place
you want to live in!

Start the
hunt on Facebook

Your first
port of call for flat hunting in Wellington is Facebook. Sure, TradeMe is good
too, but it can be pretty annoying to browse on a phone, plus Facebook is a
great way to vet if you have any mutual friends with the person looking for a
flatmate. Public groups like Vic Deals and Flatmates Wanted are two of the best
resources for finding a potential flat. Vic Deals boasts around 107,000 group
members, which means you have a wide pool of people in one spot - but it is
also not exclusively a flatmate/flat hunting group, so you’ll really need to
utilise the search bar with keywords. Flatmates Wanted, on the other hand, is a
smaller group but is just for people looking for a flatmate or a flat. This is where
I personally have had the most luck in my past flat hunting endeavours. When
you find a flat you love, click the little dots in the top right corner and
SAVE the post! This will help you keep track of all the places you’re
interested in and when it comes to viewing the flat, you won’t be fumbling
around trying to locate screenshots or, worse, have no information at all to go
off.

Dazzle your potential
future flatmates

So, you’ve
found a flat you love, either on Facebook or TradeMe, and you’re ready to send
a message, a text, an email, a letter via carrier pigeon, whatever! Keep in
mind that this person could have received ten messages today already about
their flat listing. Sending a generic, “hey I’m interested in a viewing for the
flat you posted” won’t do you any favours - and why would someone reply
to that? It sounds boring as fuck! Instead, you need to make them want you.
Introduce yourself, tell them what you do, what you’re interested in, and
give them a reason to want to live with you. Are you a mad cook? Do you have a
car that can be used for supermarket trips or expeditions to Kmart? Or are you
simply a nice and chill person and won’t cause any stupid flat drama? Everyone
has something to offer, you’ve just gotta sell them on what makes you
such a gem to live with. Be yourself, though, and don’t spin any yarns about
how you’re super neat and will scrub the bathroom clean everyday if you know
for a fact that you will do no such thing. When you go to a flat viewing, it’s
so normal to be nervous but remember to speak up and show them a bit of your
personality. It’s only awkward if you make it awkward! For safety and support,
it can also be a good idea to take a friend with you. And ask PLENTY of
questions. This will be your future home, after all, so it pays to know how
chores get done and how expenses are shared.

So go
forward and spread those wings! Figure out what it is you’re looking for, start
hunting, and dazzle your future potential flatmates at those viewings. Keep
hustling until something works, and don’t take anything personally! If they
don’t want you, then it just means it wasn’t the right fit and you probably dodged
a bullet. And if you do land a flat, you’ll know who to thank.